U.S. deploys armed drones in Libya

President Barack Obama has given U.S. forces the go-ahead to use armed Predator drones in Libya after forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi changed their tactics in the fighting there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday.

“It’s an evolving situation. We saw an opportunity here and recommended it to the president. He took it,” Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

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However, Gates said the use of the drones did not indicate that the U.S. is being sucked back into a military campaign that Obama has promised will be handled chiefly by other NATO countries and allied forces.

“This is a very limited addition on our part, but it does provide some additional capabilities to NATO,” Gates said. “I don’t think there’s mission creep at all. … The primary strike role has been turned over to our allies, our friends.”

Two armed Predators were put in the air on Thursday but had to return due to weather, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright said at the same Pentagon briefing.

Cartwright said the move to the Predators was due to Qadhafi’s forces adjusting their tactics in the face of NATO attacks.

“The character of the fight has changed,” the general said. “Things that are out in the open know that they’re going to probably perish if a NATO bird sees them, so you’re seeing a much more dispersed fight [and] people that are digging in or nestling up against crowded areas.”

Officials said the unmanned Predator drones would provide a level of agility that manned military aircraft flying attack missions over Libya cannot offer.

“What they will bring that is unique to the conflict is their ability to get down lower, therefore to be able to get better visibility — particularly on targets now that have begun to dig themselves into defensive positions,” Cartwright said. “They’re uniquely suited for areas — urban areas, where you can get low collateral damage."

Cartwright also said that unlike manned aircraft that have to refuel every few hours, Predators offer “persistence” in the battlefield.

“They’re out there for a full day working the targets,” the general said.

The U.S. flew armed Predator drones in the early days of the allied intervention in Libya, but in recent weeks they have been relegated to intelligence missions there, officials said.